March 7, 2015
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VIDEO: Highlights & Interviews from Big Ten Championships Session I
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team, four-time defending Big Ten Champions, will send five wrestlers into Saturday night's Big Ten semifinals. Head coach Cael Sanderson's squad, with fully half its line-up competing in its first Big Ten Championship, picked up a couple key upsets and was just seconds shy of others in Ohio State's St. John Arena.
The Nittany Lions will have five semifinalists tonight after going 5-4 in the opening session's quarterfinals. The team race remains very tight after the quarterfinals, with four teams all within 17 points of each other and the first round of consolation action still being contested to close out session one. Iowa (65.0), Minnesota (54.0), Penn State (48.0) and Ohio State (48.0) lead a crowded pack at the top of the early team leaderboard.
Junior Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 9 in the final NCAA Coaches Poll, received a first round bye as the fifth-seed. Conaway then met No. 12 Tim Lambert of Nebraska in the quarterfinals; Lambert was the fourth-seed. Conaway notched late takedowns in both first and second periods to bolt out to a 5-0 lead and rolled to an impressive 7-4 win. The victory moves Conaway into tonight's semifinals.
Sophomore Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 4 and the third seed, met Indiana's Alonzo Shepherd in the first round. Gulibon dominated Shepherd for a 12-3 major to move into the quarterfinals where he took on No. 8 Zane Richards of Illinois. Gulibon battled Richards evenly for nearly seven minutes, with each wrestler notching an escape as the only scoring through 6:50. Gulibon got in on a late single leg and with just :08 left, the Lion sophomore finished off the takedown for a thrilling 3-1 decision. The victory moves him into tonight's semifinals and clinches a trip to nationals for Gulibon.
Red-shirt freshman Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah), ranked No. 25 at 141 and the ninth seed, made his Big Ten Championship debut against No. 24 Nick Lawrence of Purdue, the eighth-seed. Moss took a 4-3 lead with a late takedown but gave up a last second escape to send the bout to sudden victory where Lawrence notched a quick takedown to win 6-4 (sv). Moss' loss moves him into consolation action tonight.
Sophomore Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.), ranked No. 14, made his Big Ten tourney debut at 149 as the sixth seed and had a first round bye. He took on Ohio State All-American Hunter Stieber in the quarters, the tournament's third seed. Beitz took a late 4-3 lead with a solid takedown with just :30 left in the bout. Beitz looked to ride Stieber out but the Buckeye All-American forced a hard scramble at the end, steadily working his way to a reversal with just :04 on the clock to steal a 5-4 win. The loss sends Beitz into tonight's consolation action.
Junior Luke Frey (Montoursville, Pa.) made his conference championship debut at 157 as the ninth seed and met No. 17 Anthony Perrotti of Rutgers, the eighth seed and an All-American for RU last year. Frey used a third period reversal and a riding time point to send the bout to sudden victory then fought off a late takedown attempt by Perrotti to force the tie-breaker. In the :30 sessions, Frey rode Perrotti out and then notched a reversal on his defensive turn to post a thrilling 7-5 (tb) win. Frey's victory moved him into the quarterfinals where he met the nation's top seed, unbeaten Isaiah Martinez of Illinois. Frey scored off the opening whistle to take a brief 2-0 lead. But Martinez remained unbeaten with a strong performance, posting the 24-9 technical fall over Frey. The loss moves Frey into tonight's consolation action.
Red-shirt freshman Garett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.), ranked No. 19 at 165 and the sixth seed, also wrestled in his first Big Ten tournament and faced Rutgers' Nick Visicaro in the first round. Hammond dominated the bout from start to finish, rolling to an 8-2 win with over 4:00 in riding time. The victory sent him to the quarterfinals, where he met No. 6 Taylor Walsh of Indiana, the third seed. Hammond was working his way out from an early Walsh shot. As the Lion rolled through the move, Walsh caught the Lion freshman and was awarded a pin at the :38 mark of the first period. The loss moves Hammond into tonight's consolation action.
Senior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 2 at 174 and the second seed, had a first round bye and took on No. 16 Nathan Jackson of Indiana in the quarterfinals. Brown dominated the action from start to finish, rolling up takedowns on his way to a 15-7 major decision with over 3:00 in riding time. The win moves Brown into tonight's semifinals and punches his ticket to NCAAs in St. Louis.
Red-shirt freshman Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 20 and the eighth seed, made his Big Ten tourney debut at 184 against ninth-seed John Rizqallah of Michigan State, who was ranked No. 23 nationally. McCutcheon turned a late scramble into a takedown and three back points to roll to a 6-1 win over Rizqallah, moving into the quarterfinals. The Lion freshman took on top-seeded Sammy Brooks of Iowa, ranked No. 9 nationally, in the quarterfinals. McCutcheon battled back from giving up an early takedown and stayed tight with the top-seed. Trailing 3-2 (and essentially 4-2 as Brooks had a clinched riding time point), McCutcheon worked in on a low double leg and with just :04 left, sent the bout to sudden victory with a takedown. Energized, the Lion freshman remained aggressive and slid down on another low double. After just seconds of work, McCutcheon stunned the crowd and the top-seeded Hawkeye with a takedown and a 6-4 (sv) win. The win clinched a trip to NCAAs for McCutcheon and sends him into tonight's semifinals.
Junior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 4 at 197 and the second seed, had a first round bye and battled Michigan State's Nick McDiarmid. McIntosh handled the Spartan from the opening whistle, nearly getting a first period pin off a standing throw. While McDiarmid was able to roll out of trouble, McIntosh was never challenged and rolled to a 13-3 major decision. The victory pushes McIntosh into tonight's semifinals and earns him a trip to nationals as well.
Senior Jimmy Lawson (Toms River, N.J.), ranked No. 7 at 285 and the fifth seed, took on Michigan State's Chris Nash in the opening round. Lawson dominated the bout from the start, leading 8-0 after one period. The Lion senior chose top to start the second and turned Nash for a pin at the 4:36 mark, moving into the quarters. Lawson met No. 4 Bobby Telford of Iowa in the quarterfinals and dropped a tough 2-1 decision on riding time. The loss moves Lawson into tonight's consolation bracket.
Penn State went 10-5 in the opening session and, in addition to its five semifinalists, has already qualified four wrestlers for NCAAs (Gulibon, Brown, McCutcheon and McIntosh). The Nittany Lions picked up five bonus points off three majors and a pin.
The 2015 Big Ten Wrestling Championships, hosted by Ohio State University, continue tonight at 6 p.m. with the semifinals and consolation action. The event concludes tomorrow beginning at 1 p.m. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at www.twitter.com/pennstateWREST and on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling. The 2014-15 Penn State Wrestling season is presented by The Family Clothesline.
The following is a weight-by-weight breakdown/agate of Penn State's tournament to date (rankings listed are Final NCAA Coaches Rankings):
125: #9 Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), Jr., -- #5 seed (21-5 overall)
1st Rd: bye
Qtrs: #12 Tim Lambert, Nebraska - W, 7-4 dec.
Semis: Tonight vs. #4 Thomas Gilman, Iowa
Junior Jordan Conaway (Abbottstown, Pa.), ranked No. 9 in the final NCAA Coaches Poll, received a first round bye as the fifth-seed. Conaway then met No. 12 Tim Lambert of Nebraska in the quarterfinals, Lambert was the fourth-seed. Conaway notched late takedowns in both the first and second periods to bolt out to a 5-0 lead and rolled to an impressive 7-4 win.
133: #4 Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), So., -- #3 seed (22-4 overall)
1st Rd: Alonzo Shepherd, Indiana - W, 12-3 maj. dec.
Qtrs: #8 Zane Richards, Illinois - W, 3-1 dec.
Semis: Tonight vs. #2 Ryan Taylor, Wisconsin
Sophomore Jimmy Gulibon (Latrobe, Pa.), ranked No. 4 and the third seed, met Indiana's Alonzo Shepherd in the first round. Gulibon dominated Shepherd for a 12-3 major to move into the quarterfinals where he took on No. 8 Zane Richards of Illinois. Gulibon battled Richards evenly for nearly seven minutes, with each wrestler notching an escape as the only scoring through 6:50. Gulibon got in on a late single leg and with just :08 left, the Lion sophomore finished off the takedown for a thrilling 3-1 decision.
141: #25 Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah), Fr. -- #9 seed (17-15 overall)
1st Rd: #24 Nick Lawrence, Purdue - L, 4-6 (sv)
Cns 1: bye
Cns 2: Tonight vs. #23 Jameson Oster, Northwestern
Red-shirt freshman Kade Moss (South Jordan, Utah), ranked No. 25 at 141 and the ninth seed, made his Big Ten Championship debut against No. 24 Nick Lawrence of Purdue, the eighth-seed. Moss took a 4-3 lead with a late takedown but gave up a last second escape to send the bout to sudden victory where Lawrence notched a quick takedown to win 6-4 (sv).
149: #14 Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.), So. -- #6 seed (15-8 overall)
1st Rd: bye
Qtrs: Hunter Stieber, Ohio State - L, 4-5 dec.
Con 2: Tonight vs. Trevor Moody, Indiana
Sophomore Zack Beitz (Mifflintown, Pa.), ranked No. 14, made his Big Ten tourney debut at 149 as the sixth seed and had a first round bye. He took on Ohio State All-American Hunter Stieber in the quarters, the tournament's third seed. Beitz took a late 4-3 lead with a solid takedown with just :30 left in the bout. Beitz looked to ride Stieber out but the Buckeye All-American forced a hard scramble at the end, steadily working his way to a reversal with just :04 on the clock to steal a 5-4 win.
157: Luke Frey (Montoursville, Pa.), Jr. -- #9 seed (13-6 overall)
1st Rd: #17 Anthony Perrotti, Rutgers - W, 7-5 (tb)
Qtrs: #1 Isaiah Martinez, Illinois - L, 9-24 TF (6:30)
Con 2: Tonight vs. Lou Mascola, Maryland
Junior Luke Frey (Montoursville, Pa.) made his conference championship debut at 157 as the ninth seed and met No. 17 Anthony Perrotti of Rutgers, the eighth seed and an All-American for RU last year. Frey used a third period reversal and a riding time point to send the bout to sudden victory then fought off a late takedown attempt by Perrotti to force the tie-breaker. In the :30 sessions, Frey rode Perrotti out and then notched a reversal on his defensive turn to post a thrilling 7-5 (tb) win. Frey's victory moved him into the quarterfinals where he met the nation's top seed, unbeaten Isaiah Martinez of Illinois. Frey scored off the opening whistle to take a brief 2-0 lead. But Martinez remained unbeaten with a strong performance, posting the 24-9 technical fall over Frey.
165: #19 Garett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.) Fr. -- #6 seed (22-10 overall)
1st Rd: Nick Visicaro, Rutgers - W, 8-2 dec.
Qtrs: #6 Taylor Walsh, Indiana - LBF (0:38)
Con 2: Tonight
Red-shirt freshman Garett Hammond (Chambersburg, Pa.), ranked No. 19 at 165 and the sixth seed, also wrestled in his first Big Ten tournament and faced Rutgers' Nick Visicaro in the first round. Hammond dominated the bout from start to finish, rolling to an 8-2 win with over 4:00 in riding time. The victory sent him to the quarterfinals, where he met No. 6 Taylor Walsh of Indiana, the third seed. Hammond was working his way out from an early Walsh shot. As the Lion rolled through the move, Walsh caught the Lion freshman and was awarded a pin at the :38 mark of the first period.
174: #2 Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah) Sr. -- #2 seed (23-2 overall)
1st Rd: bye
Qtrs: #16 Nathan Jackson, Indiana - W, 15-7 maj. dec.
Semis: Tonight vs. #3 Mike Evans, Iowa
Senior Matt Brown (West Valley City, Utah), ranked No. 2 at 174 and the second seed, had a first round bye and took on No. 16 Nathan Jackson of Indiana in the quarterfinals. Brown dominated the action from start to finish, rolling up takedowns on his way to a 15-7 major decision with over 3:00 in riding time.
184: #20 Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), Fr. -- #8 seed (23-11 overall)
1st Rd: #23 John Rizqallah, Michigan State - W, 6-1 dec.
Qtrs: #9 Sammy Brooks, Iowa - W, 6-4 (sv)
Semis: Tonight vs. #14 Brett Pfarr, Minnesota
Red-shirt freshman Matt McCutcheon (Apollo, Pa.), ranked No. 20 and the eighth seed, made his Big Ten tourney debut at 184 against ninth-seed John Rizqallah of Michigan State, who was ranked No. 23 nationally. McCutcheon turned a late scramble into a takedown and three back points to roll to a 6-1 win over Rizqallah, moving into the quarterfinals. The Lion freshman took on top-seeded Sammy Brooks of Iowa, ranked No. 9 nationally, in the quarterfinals. McCutcheon battled back from giving up an early takedown and stayed tight with the top-seed. Trailing 3-2 (and essentially 4-2 as Brooks had a clinched riding time point), McCutcheon worked in on a low double leg and with just :04 left, sent the bout to sudden victory with a takedown. Energized, the Lion freshman remained aggressive and slid down on another low double. After just seconds of work, McCutcheon stunned the crowd and the top-seeded Hawkeye with a takedown and a 6-4 (sv) win.
197: #4 Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), Jr. -- #2 seed (24-2 overall)
1st Rd: bye
Qtrs: Nick McDiarmid, Michigan State - W, 13-3 maj. dec.
Semis: Tonight vs. #5 Scott Schiller, Minnesota
Junior Morgan McIntosh (Santa Ana, Calif.), ranked No. 4 at 197 and the second seed, had a first round bye and battled Michigan State's Nick McDiarmid. McIntosh handled the Spartan from the opening whistle, nearly getting a first period pin off a standing throw. While McDiarmid was able to roll out of trouble, McIntosh was never challenged and rolled to a 13-3 major decision.
285: #7 Jimmy Lawson (Toms River, N.J.), Sr. -- #5 seed (13-2 overall)
1st Rd: Chris Nash, Michigan State - WBF (4:36)
Qtrs: #4 Bobby Telford, Iowa - L, 1-2 dec.
Con 2: Tonight
Senior Jimmy Lawson (Toms River, N.J.), ranked No. 7 at 285 and the fifth seed, took on Michigan State's Chris Nash in the opening round. Lawson dominated the bout from the start, leading 8-0 after one period. The Lion senior chose top to start the second and turned Nash for a pin at the 4:36 mark, moving into the quarters. Lawson met No. 4 Bobby Telford of Iowa in the quarterfinals and dropped a tough 2-1 decision on riding time.